Welcome! "Bienvenido!"

My name is Dayna. Shanti and I have been visiting Quintana Roo since 2015. In fact, we got engaged (2016) and married (2017) in Playa Del Carmen "Playa." Over the years, we met people that were making a life in paradise and began making friends. Whether they were from Mexico or a different country, everyone's story of how they decided to live here was so inspirational. We started watching all of the House Hunter's International and Mexico Life tv series and started dreaming about living here.

We thought we wanted to live in Playa and began visiting a couple times a year to immerse ourselves in the community and explore different neighborhoods.

In 2018, while staying in Playa, we came to Puerto Morelos and went to Unico Beach Club on a day trip. I saw and heard several champagne bottles popping and people exclaiming, "Welcome to your new home!" I looked at Shanti and said, "Hmm, something is going on here." When we walked out of Unico Beach club there was a villa directly across the street named "Villa Shanti" and Shanti said, "We're going to live here."

Our next visit we stayed in Puerto Morelos. We fell in love with the warm and kind people, the laid-back beach town vibes "tranquilo", and the rich blend of traditions, flavors, and everyday experiences that make Puerto Morelos so special. One time, while chillin on the beach, a Mexican man randomly came up to us and said, "You belong here." and we could feel it too. We continued to visit Puerto Morelos several times throughout 2020; a time when most people were not traveling at all. By the end of the year, we had temporary residency and purchased a home in Puerto Morelos.

The following year, 2021, I chose not to renew a contract I had for 10 years. We sold EVERYTHING we had in Northern Virginia (15 minutes south of DC), boarded a plane with our all black cat "Cozmoz" and nine suitcases (we had a small amount of items shipped as well), and moved to Puerto Morelos full-time to begin our new lives.

It's almost been 5 years since we made that bold and courageous decision. Now we are fully integrated and thriving in our community. We have our permanent residency and driver's license. Our health, relationship, and quality of life have improved significantly.

Puerto Morelos Protips was created from the heart to help make building a life in Puerto Morelos easier, feel more connected, and a little less overwhelming.

After years of learning what works (and what doesn't), we want to share it all, not as tourists, but as neighbors.

Your friendly neighbors,

Dayna & Shanti